GMAT or GRE: which test is right for you?
Many business schools accept the GRE as well as the GMAT. But when choosing which test to take, knowing their characteristics may be helpful. If this decision is proving hard to make, all you have to do is read this blogpost!
Which schools accept which test?
The most significant difference between the GMAT and the GRE is that the GRE is used as an element of applications for many graduate programs, while the GMAT serves exclusively for applications for business school.
Business schools prefer the GMAT for three main reasons. Firstly, GMAT questions (particularly the Quantitative and Integrated Reasoning sections), test skills and knowledge that are generally considered more related to what successful business students need to know, such as multi-part reasoning and data interpretation. Secondly, some schools believe that submitting GMAT scores demonstrates a unique commitment to attending business school. Finally, the majority of business schools employ staff that’s simply more familiar with the GMAT – and hence better equipped to interpret GMAT scores.
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How is each test structured and scored?
Both tests cover three main areas: Verbal, Quantitative (including the GMAT’s Integrated Reasoning section), and Writing. The GRE’s Verbal section is considered to be slightly more challenging than its GMAT counterpart, especially for non-native English speakers.
The GRE’s Analytical Writing section comprises two essays, each of which you’ll be given 30 minutes to write. Its Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Reasoning sections have two 20-question each, for a total of 80 multiple-choice questions. Lastly, the GRE includes one 20-question research section which won’t be included as part of your score (either a Verbal or a Quantitative section). The GMAT features only one essay in the Verbal section and a grand total of 90 multiple-choice questions.
Both the GMAT and the GRE are normally taken on the computer. Yet, while in the GMAT each individual question determines the difficulty of the next question, in the GRE the score on each section determines the difficulty of the next section (on the same subject). You cannot revise your GMAT answers once you’ve submitted them; in the GRE, you can return to questions you’ve already answered before you complete a section.
If you take the GMAT, the most important score you receive is your composite score (from 200 to 800). The composite score takes only your scores from the Verbal and Quantitative sections into account. Like the GMAT, the score range for GRE’s Analytical Writing section is 0-6, in half-point increments. Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning are scored the same way (130-170, in one-point increments). The three section scores are reported individually.
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Which test is easier?
There’s no straightforward answer to this question. The Verbal sections of the two exams are pretty similar. Having said that, it’s widely agreed that the quantitative sections of the GMAT are more difficult; its Data Sufficiency questions and the Integrated Reasoning section are generally deemed to be more challenging quantitative regarding critical thinking and analysis. Finally, the GMAT and the GRE have quite similar Writing sections, but the GRE requires two essays (the GMAT requires only one). The GRE sets aside 60 minutes for the Analytical Writing section (against GMAT’s 30 minutes).
What about logistics?
Both the GRE and the GMAT are offered year-round at many testing sites. The GRE is offered more often and at more locations than the GMAT, but there’s a geographical factor to take into account: the GRE is more commonly taken and therefore offered in the USA than in the rest of the world.
Our advice?
If you’re unsure about your post-graduate plans, the GRE keeps all your options open. Otherwise, take the GMAT: it’s not that much harder and submitting GMAT scores will reinforce your determination to attend Business school.
Doubts? Reach out to us here and we’ll do our best to help you! If you want to know more about executive programs, feel free to download our free ebook below.
